Wednesday, November 10, 2010

In January, Andrew Salmon wrote an interesting article in the Korea Times about the the 1968 North Korean commando raid on the Blue House, which was followed by the capture of the USS Pueblo shortly after. The article provides a good introduction to the news this week that the only North Korean survivor of that raid, Kim Shin-jo, was appointed as a North Korea human rights adviser. As the Joongang Ilbo notes,

After a year of interrogation by South Korean authorities, Kim was allowed to settle into civilian life in the South and became a citizen in 1970. He converted to Christianity and has been serving as a pastor since 1997.

I'm surprised at such lenient treatment - I wasn't aware that any of the commandos had survived. There is also an interview with him, which includes this exchange:

When you met Park Geun-hye at Hwang[Jang-yop]’s funeral on Oct. 11, what did you say to her?

I said Kim Il Sung knew that if President Park Chung Hee was alive in the South, South Korea would surpass North in terms of development. That’s why he sent me to kill him, and I found it true when I came here.”

That must have been an interesting conversation. The KT also reported on Kim's appointment.

In other North Korean related news, the headline about the photos below (from this article) in a paper I read on the subway (Metro, I think) was "Kim Jong-un pours with one hand, just like Kim-Jong-il."